Settlers attempt to offer sacrifices at the closest point to Al-Aqsa Mosque
Today, settlers tried to offer sacrifices in Jerusalem's Old City near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, as the Jewish Passover holiday nears.
Reports show that 10 settlers moved from the Damascus Gate toward the Old City, carrying two goats with the intention of offering them as sacrifices near Al-Aqsa. As they approached the Old City, prayers could be heard.
Eyewitnesses reported that the police detained the settlers, seized the goats, and took several into custody.
The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Jerusalem stated that this was not an isolated incident. On March 19, a settler brought a goat to the Cotton Merchants' Market, which opens directly to the al-Qattanin Gate, one of the entrances to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
This incident coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday, which takes place from April 2 to 8, during which there is an annual increase in efforts to bring sacrifices closer to Al-Aqsa.
Each year, extremist “Temple" groups, settler activists, and associations try to bring animal sacrifices into the Al-Aqsa Mosque or as close as possible, aiming to impose religious rituals within the mosque.
According to the Information Center, last year, settlers successfully made an attempt. On November 18, 2026, eight settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque area via the Lions Gate, carrying animal sacrifices—specifically a small goat and three doves in a cardboard bag. One of them was seen wearing tefillin (Jewish prayer shawls). Mosque guards chased after the settlers, who quickly headed toward the Bab Al-Rahma Gate in the eastern section, then dispersed into different parts of the courtyards. Later, police arrested the group.
On May 12, 2025, a settler extremist successfully entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Al-Ghawanmeh Gate, carrying a small goat for sacrifice. He conducted religious rituals, including prayer and prostration, inside the mosque's courtyards—an act considered dangerous and nprecedented.
For nearly a month, the occupation authorities have maintained the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque amid the Israeli-American war on Iran, allowing only a limited number of Islamic Endowment Department staff to enter. They also blockaded the Old City with iron barriers at all gates, spreading into the streets, and restrict entry to residents only.
